Left untreated, PAD can lead to amputation

Don’t ignore nighttime leg pain

Does leg pain frequently interrupt your sleep? Are you in the habit of hanging your foot off the edge of the bed to relieve the discomfort? Is sleeping upright in a chair the only way you can get rest? These might be more than normal effects of getting older. Pain in your legs and feet at night, or when you’re trying to sleep, is a symptom of peripheral artery disease (PAD). And nighttime leg pain could mean you have the worst form of PAD – critical limb ischemia (CLI).

Aches and pains from PAD are the result of narrowed, hardened arteries in the legs, limiting blood flow to your legs and feet. With CLI, the obstructed blood flow is so considerable and widespread that nighttime pain attacks in your legs or feet can last minutes to hours long.20

Leg pain could be a sign of something worse

Many CLI patients are at significant risk for amputation if they don’t seek treatment. Things can get worse from there – CLI has been linked to putting a patient’s life at risk.4

Nighttime leg pain can be a sign of a serious condition. Know the warning signs.